Celebrating inclusive makeup

Earlier this month, megastar Rihanna dropped her highly anticipated makeup line Fenty Beauty, which was praised for its brand’s quality and inclusivity, especially the 40 different foundation shades. As someone of color, makeup can be such a pain. When it comes to eyeshadows, the shades have to be extra pigmented. When it comes to lipsticks, it can be awkward to put on because I have two different shaded upper and lower lips. In drugstores, it can be annoying when there are only a few concealers to choose from, and they’re all for someone with lighter skin.

Additionally, when it comes to clothes, it can be hard to find a nude bra. Buzzfeed did an experiment in a multimedia video, where women of color tried on the traditional “nude” bra, which was basically beige. Needless to say, they were disappointed and voiced a need for more colors and diversity offered in bras.

Frustrated by the lack of skin-tone choices to go with her ever-expanding wardrobe, Nubian Skin founder, Ade Hassan, decided it was time for ‘a different kind of nude’, according to their official website.

Nubian Skin is a company that sells nude bra and skin tone hosieries that are inclusive to all types of skin colors.

While I’m frustrated that makeup and clothes aren’t the most inclusive, I think we should celebrate these triumphs when they do happen. Earlier this week, Make Up For Ever did an Instagram post that stated, “40 shades is nothing new to us. Since 2015, the ultraHDfoundation released 40 shades for everyone’s unique skin tone understanding the difference between red and yellow undertones. With expertise, time and passion, we shall continue to develop and improve our products for pros, for you and everyone.”

Rihanna quickly clapped back with “lol. Still ashy. I’m shook.”

The Instagram post could’ve been positive but instead, it felt like the company was shading Rihanna. To me, the more companies offering a diverse selection, the better. I don’t see the need to compete with one another like that.

While there are many companies that offer limited colors, there are also plenty of others that do offer a wide variety. I think the more progressive we get, the more we should celebrate it as a victory. I understand that Make Up For Ever had 40 shades before, but for them to claim they did it first doesn’t seem like a very celebrated victory to me.